hi Spiritual Seeker, i to was raised a christian and raised and lived near an indian reservation. many of the young people were my fiends. over the years i got to know some of their ways, opinions, religious beleifs, and i must i admit that i admire the old ways that many of the old people would pray, accept, and practice their faith.
over the years i have become much more in the Deism phylosophy when it comes to religion and faith. this irritates my some of my friends, family, and the spirit of my parents.
Well, I guess I'm the odd ball of the group! I grew up in Italy with a witch for a grandma and a great grandma! Over the years I have studied many other believes and I have found my home in witchcraft! It is to me the most gentle, kind, loving belief, yet so misunderstood!
Hi Dave & Assunta
Can we all COEXIST? I think there is place in the world for all faiths and approach to our Creator. If we look at Nature we see the hands of the Creator and I don't see any faith. I see harmony. Nature takes care of US all
Thank you WCC!!! I do appreciate people like you! After all, dont we worship the same god/goddess/spirit/entity..whatever? even if we give him/her a different name?
I believe all faiths have basically the same needs and outcome the only difference I have ever found is the need to have to prove one is better then the other and I have often thought what a waste of time on ones part to vocus on that...we all are brothers and sisters and need to vocus on tolerence and love of one another after all isnt that a main purpose of being? To the way my Momma taught us "It isnt the way our paths take us on our journey thru life its the ultimate destiny where we end up as we learn from one another we grow and chose with our free-wills choice to accept or not, and continue without judgment of anothers choice...AHO lynn53
Lynn and others, I hope I didn't give off the believe that my way is the only way. A couple of years ago I was corresponding with a gentleman of the Islamic faith and I learned alittle about it. I'm inerested in learning more and about other faiths also. I believe the more we know about each others faith the more we can live peacefully with each other! Yes?
Absolutely, Maducks! Spirituality is so individual! I mean, we dress different, look different, act different, so why should we all agree on religion? I have studied a lot of other believes, from Buddhism to Hinduism to Christianity to Shamanism; I love them all! All have a lot to teach. I also find that some people have a need for structure, more than others and their faith reflects their personality; which is a good thing that spirituality suits the personality. I make sure that, the people that I associate with are open people as I dont want to have to hide who I am and because of that, I do live peacefully with everyone!
Could you all pray for me, I fell earler today and broke my right arm! It's the radius (smaller long bone) down near the wrist. The most frustrating thing is I'm right handed!!! :(
Maduck sorry to hear about your fall and wish you well. This might be the time to learn to use the "wrong hand." Seriously get well soon.
I have studied and talked with people of diverse faiths. What stricks me in our conversations is how much disinformation there is about other faiths. Once we begin to look at the history of the various faiths we begin to see the common thing we or they all share
i wish you a speedy recovery Maduck. and i totally agree with wcc, i wish we could coexist in this old world. but alas, i am not sure it is possible because everyone has to have someone to 'look down on' as it were. at least that is my way of thinking. i hope i am wrong. but, i it doesnt seem to be that way.
Thanks for your prayers everyone! Bubbadave, what you speaking about I believe is one of the hardest sins--Pride--for us to fight against it's tempatation. For me it seems when I get too pridefull I'm soon faced with a lesson of Humility. But I'm not ready to accept your thought about others here. I have great hope that you're wrong. Giving up on God's children to me would be like giving up on God,Himself. I feel the more knowledge we can give others (without being too pushy) and with prayer we can/will help those and strengthen our hope.
The secret is acceptance. Having an open mind. Many people are ignorant on certain things and accepting those things might make them feel less in power, and the struggle begins...While in Italy, I couldn't purchase a Bible, To this day, one cannot go to a store and buy one like here; you have to go through a church. I fought tooth and nails to get it and it took the priest of my town 6 months to get one to me; then, all hell broke loose, and I was not even 10 years old! The priest could not answer many of the questions that came up as a result of me interpreting certain things different! So hell was the next threat; "If I questioned too much and not accepted by faith, I was going to go to hell" I guess, so far, I'm still headed that way!
maducks,
i agree with you, i sincerely hope i am wrong. it is a prideful thing that allows us to think we may be better than others and it is something that must be fought constantly.
i suppose most folks allow things to pass or ignore, and overcome this pride, but there are some, it seems to be our political leaders that put this prideful thing out there so we might be able to vote for or against them.
Many people are blinded by the illusion that if they believe something it must be a fact.... It was a painful long process to accept my beliefs on life as nothing more than beliefs... they are thoughts in my mind. Some of them maybe dead on while others might be as fanciful as Cinderella and the Seven Dwarfs.
Once I have come to the acceptance of the reality of my own beliefs, it was much easier to have understanding that others beliefs, while they might be much different than mine, might have just as much or more claim to the truth. Our subconscious minds have a way of filtering out the millions of stimuli in the environment to support our own individual reality and beliefs. A single occurrence can be interpreted by a Christian to prove there is a God and by the Atheist that there is no god.
It is plain ignorance to think that somehow our intellect is so much greater than all others that anything we lay claim to must be the absolute "Truth."
Justbeingme66, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! TO TELL THE TRUTH, I COULD NOT PUT IT IN TO WORDS AS WELL AS YOU. I WISH OTHERS COULD OR WOULD ACCEPT YOUR TRUTHS. AS THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE, TRUTHS.
Justbeingme66 you are correct. When we enter this world our mind/brain is empty. Blank. We know nothing about the environment we are about to enter. What gets written on our brain depending on the society into which which we are born into. Those beleifs aren't really ours. They belong to the group we are part of. That what shapes us. Some of us begin to question those beliefs early some later some never do. Questioning and learning where and how we came by those beliefs is what we should all do. Makes us more accepting when we realize that beliefs depend on where we find ourselves in this existence
I'm reading a lot here about the mind and thoughts, beliefs, philososphy, psychology, sociology. Nothing "spiritual" though. Giving your life over to words in a book is not spiritual regardless of how pretty those words are or how good they make you feel. Nothing here about contacting the spiritual plane or giving your life over to a papable higher power. I'm quitting this group because it's just more boring ego stroking. But thanks, you guys have fun, doing what ever this is.
L.C. what you say is true to some extant... i personally enjoy the relationship with an all inclusive grace based Creator that i rely wholly on....
I understand being frustrated at vocabulary that does not comply with your faith journey, my hope is that you will openly share your faith with an accepting group...
“They were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and he healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14
It’s a good thing that I wasn’t responsible for those people. I would have been in no mood to teach them, no mood to help them, but did Jesus? As I think about it Jesus had no desire to be with them either. After all he did leave them. But only after he taught them many things and healed the sick. So he was pretty tired and just wanted to get away to regenerate and relax.
Question? Why did Jesus teach and heal them if he needed some “quiet time”, as we like to call it now.
Answer: “He had compassion on them” (Matthew 14:14)
So, in other words Matthew in this scripture is not saying he felt simple pity or compassion for them. It was a much deeper meaning. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in his gut.
He felt the hurt of the diseased.
He felt the loneliness of the lepers.
He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.
He felt the limp of the crippled.
And once that he felt their hurts, he couldn’t help but heal them and teach them many things. He was moved in the stomach of their needs. He was so touched by their needs he forgot his own. He was so moved that he but their hurts on his back as though he didn’t have enough which he did he had more than enough. Jesus felt compassion on them because they were the reason he came. They were HIS children. Because self was forgotten and others were served by the compassionate Savior.
Jesus knew all to well what pain is and that’s the very reason he takes as much as he can off of us. Jesus knows how you feel. When you struggle He listens. When you yearn he responds. He’s there for you now. Now he’s there for you.
A boy went into a pet shop to buy a puppy. He looked and looked. He told the owner that he would be back with the money to buy the puppy in a couple of weeks. During those weeks he worked so hard. Washing cars, mowing lawns, doing chores around the house. Finally he had the money the next day he went back to the pet shop. He got out a puppy that was crippled he walked up to the storeowner. And handed him the money. When the owner saw the puppy he picked he told him to go pick another puppy because this puppy would never be able to play or run because it was crippled. The boy just smiled and said he was sure this is the puppy he wanted and that it was just the puppy for him. As the boy walked out the owner started to say something but remained silent. Suddenly he knew why the boy had picked that puppy for extending out of the boy’s trousers was a brace on his leg.
Why did the boy want the dog?
The same reason Jesus wants to us, he knew how it felt and he also knew that we were very special.
THERE IS PERHAPS no greater evidence that human beings act contrary to their self-interest than the fact chat we spend so little time talking to the one who made and loves us. An amazingly high percentage of Americans say they believe in God, but most can’t find the time or the inclination to mutter much more than an occasional request for a small favor.
In order to learn to love to pray, as opposed to loving the idea of praying, one must experience the feeling while praying that you are at the center of reality. This runs contrary to common notions—that prayer, for instance, is a retreat from the real world, that prayer is a kind of luxury that we hope someday to be able to afford, that some people—the prayer warriors—have a gift for prayer that most of us lack.
Serious prayer is not a special gift, not even primarily a responsibility; it is a practical privilege—a privilege because it is an invitation to speak with the Creator of the universe, practical because nothing is more useful for giving our everyday lives weight and direction.
We have not because we ask not.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once wrote: “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 2:45). Commentator J. Oswald Sanders adds this lofty view of prayer:
No spiritual exercise is such a blending of complexity and simplicity. It is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try, yet the sublimest strains that reach the Majesty on high. It is as appropriate to the aged philosopher as to the little child. It is the ejaculation of a moment and the attitude of a lifetime. It is the expression of the rest of faith and of the fight of faith. It is an agony and an ecstasy. It is submissive and yet importunate. In the one moment it lays hold of God and binds the devil. It can be focused on a single objective and it can roam the world. It can be abject confession and rapt adoration. It invests puny man with a sort of omnipotence (Effective Prayer [Chicago: Moody, 1969], 7).
The essence of prayer is simply talking to God as you would to a beloved friend—without pretense or flippancy. Yet it is in that very attitude toward prayer so many believers have trouble.
Because communion with God is so vital and prayer so effective in the fulfillment of God’s plan, the enemy attempts constantly to introduce errors into our understanding of and commitment to prayer. Every generation faces the necessity to reprioritize and purify a corrupted or confused perception of prayer. For many, prayer has been replaced with pragmatic action. Function overrides fellowship with God; busyness crowds out communication. For others, prayer lacks a sense of awe and respect. Their efforts are flippant, disrespectful, and irreverent. Then there are those who believe prayer is designed to make demands and claims on God. They attempt to force Him to do what they believe He should do for them. Finally, for some prayer is nothing more than a routine ritual.
How is your prayer life? Throughout the bible we are reminded again and again that our Creator wishes to have a relationship with us that will define who we are in the world. The best way to meet God is through worship and prayer. But many of us relegate our prayer Sunday mornings and desperate times. So today, take a moment or two and meet your Creator in the silence of that most powerful gift given you, prayer.
It's hard stepping away from logic and truly making room for greatness. That's the bad news. The good news is: that road is not crowded. If you don't need outside validation and approval, then you'll basically have your own freeway to fulfillment.
Question is — how strong are you? Will you pave your own way without the need for cheerleaders on the side of the road? The only cheerleading you need is your connection with the Light.
Today, before you get carried away feeling comfy on other people's roads, look for the less crowded one. It's probably the one you should be on.
Hi Maggie,
Most often mean comments dont bother me, as I see it, Everyone has the right to think as they wish! Then...every so often I get tested!...Its a good growing experience, I guess!
Glad you liked the quote :)
I think we perhaps do not need validation from others but don't you think that we do need a sense of community with others? Belonging... Sometimes this can lead to a need for acceptance, (I am a part of this community), but not validation. I believe that our spiritual journey is usually best expressed through relationships with others... A community.. Now this is not meant to imply that without relationship we are without spirituality... But even in my most solitary times I had a feeling of connectedness or relationship with some form of community.
I admit that I am able to swing from a mind-set of deep seriousness,
then all the way through to complete and utter stupidity,
but tears dwell up in my eyes when I remember there is a part
in the Bible (don't know where), when Jesus says "I shall never leave you"
so nowadays with the discovery of DNA, could it be that we are `one'
with the Creator, and could it be that because we don't truly understand,
let alone believe this, we can be aware of a great gaping emptiness
deep within our soul.
I started reading its post several times and something always got me side tracked. So today I finally got time to read the whole post, Interesting comments, on validation and contentment. This is not new; this age old struggle has been going on for over 2000 years. We were not contented with Jesus telling us he was the son of God. We need it validated by his deeds and actions. We need proof, I think that this in not by accident by design, it is as God wanted it. It is a check and balance of life.
I feel our connection to others and social organizations is an innate desire to transcend to something greater than ourselves. It allows us to be part of something bigger. It gives us greater purpose in life. There is an electrifying power of sharing spiritual moments with others. Our emotions magnify each others experience and expand our entire sense of being, as our lives, for a moment, transcend the ordinary here and now and reach out to the entire universe.... and perhaps even into the eternities.
Emmett8, you know I remember reading an article once, and it interested me
because as we know. most Scientists spend all their time testing theories in
order to attain proof, however, the article continued on to state that as the
scientists continued in their work, more and more often now, it appears there
is a direct correlation between what they find and a spiritual parallel.
And so we travel onwards....
Dean, That sounds like an accurate definition of "bashing" to me. If you want an easy rule-of-thumb though: Tell us what inspires you, and lifts you up, and respect others when they tell you what inspires them and lifts them up.
If biblical references, facts and logic inspire you and feed your soul, then good for you! You've found a spiritual path that fits you, and there may be others here who would enjoy and benefit from your observations.
"Bashing" happens when someone feels the need to say "my way is better than yours, you shouldn't be doing it your way." Instead of realising that everyone's spiritual path or religion or relationship with God is as unique as that person is themselves.
Marsha, I really like you! That is on the wall in every room in my home! It is also on my group "come forth American Indians". For me that write has been a powerful tool in life. I love seeing it and I never grow weary of it. Thank you, dear Marsha.
Yesterday was a short lived disappointment for me. My arm cast did NOT come off.
When I returned home to my grandson, Evan waiting for me. He immediately started running at me with a huge hug. He looked up at me and said,"Grammy, It'll be ok cause now I gave a reason to come help you more often." My eyes welled up and instantly lost all sense of disappointment. How special and blessed I feel!!
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
This is a classic story and wonderful reminder:
Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation, etc.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance...
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you".
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
Today is a gift, that is why it is called "The Present".
bubbadave
over the years i have become much more in the Deism phylosophy when it comes to religion and faith. this irritates my some of my friends, family, and the spirit of my parents.
respectfully
dave
Jun 30, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Jun 30, 2009
WCC
Can we all COEXIST? I think there is place in the world for all faiths and approach to our Creator. If we look at Nature we see the hands of the Creator and I don't see any faith. I see harmony. Nature takes care of US all
Jun 30, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Jun 30, 2009
Leslie Ann Benzion
Jun 30, 2009
lynn53
Jul 1, 2009
Maducks
Jul 1, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Jul 1, 2009
Maducks
Jul 1, 2009
WCC
I have studied and talked with people of diverse faiths. What stricks me in our conversations is how much disinformation there is about other faiths. Once we begin to look at the history of the various faiths we begin to see the common thing we or they all share
Jul 1, 2009
Leslie Ann Benzion
Jul 1, 2009
bubbadave
respectfully
dave
Jul 1, 2009
Maducks
Jul 2, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Jul 2, 2009
bubbadave
i agree with you, i sincerely hope i am wrong. it is a prideful thing that allows us to think we may be better than others and it is something that must be fought constantly.
i suppose most folks allow things to pass or ignore, and overcome this pride, but there are some, it seems to be our political leaders that put this prideful thing out there so we might be able to vote for or against them.
respectfully
dave
Jul 2, 2009
ozzieowl
`Yes' - I promise not to bash anyone,I come in Peace.
Hi to all in the Group.
Jul 2, 2009
Justbeingme66
Once I have come to the acceptance of the reality of my own beliefs, it was much easier to have understanding that others beliefs, while they might be much different than mine, might have just as much or more claim to the truth. Our subconscious minds have a way of filtering out the millions of stimuli in the environment to support our own individual reality and beliefs. A single occurrence can be interpreted by a Christian to prove there is a God and by the Atheist that there is no god.
It is plain ignorance to think that somehow our intellect is so much greater than all others that anything we lay claim to must be the absolute "Truth."
Jul 2, 2009
bubbadave
RESPECTFULLY
DAVE
Jul 2, 2009
WCC
Jul 3, 2009
CelticKC
Jul 3, 2009
L.C. DeMartin
Jul 3, 2009
CelticKC
I understand being frustrated at vocabulary that does not comply with your faith journey, my hope is that you will openly share your faith with an accepting group...
Jul 3, 2009
CelticKC
Kasey Crosby
“They were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and he healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14
It’s a good thing that I wasn’t responsible for those people. I would have been in no mood to teach them, no mood to help them, but did Jesus? As I think about it Jesus had no desire to be with them either. After all he did leave them. But only after he taught them many things and healed the sick. So he was pretty tired and just wanted to get away to regenerate and relax.
Question? Why did Jesus teach and heal them if he needed some “quiet time”, as we like to call it now.
Answer: “He had compassion on them” (Matthew 14:14)
So, in other words Matthew in this scripture is not saying he felt simple pity or compassion for them. It was a much deeper meaning. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in his gut.
He felt the hurt of the diseased.
He felt the loneliness of the lepers.
He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.
He felt the limp of the crippled.
And once that he felt their hurts, he couldn’t help but heal them and teach them many things. He was moved in the stomach of their needs. He was so touched by their needs he forgot his own. He was so moved that he but their hurts on his back as though he didn’t have enough which he did he had more than enough. Jesus felt compassion on them because they were the reason he came. They were HIS children. Because self was forgotten and others were served by the compassionate Savior.
Jesus knew all to well what pain is and that’s the very reason he takes as much as he can off of us. Jesus knows how you feel. When you struggle He listens. When you yearn he responds. He’s there for you now. Now he’s there for you.
A boy went into a pet shop to buy a puppy. He looked and looked. He told the owner that he would be back with the money to buy the puppy in a couple of weeks. During those weeks he worked so hard. Washing cars, mowing lawns, doing chores around the house. Finally he had the money the next day he went back to the pet shop. He got out a puppy that was crippled he walked up to the storeowner. And handed him the money. When the owner saw the puppy he picked he told him to go pick another puppy because this puppy would never be able to play or run because it was crippled. The boy just smiled and said he was sure this is the puppy he wanted and that it was just the puppy for him. As the boy walked out the owner started to say something but remained silent. Suddenly he knew why the boy had picked that puppy for extending out of the boy’s trousers was a brace on his leg.
Why did the boy want the dog?
The same reason Jesus wants to us, he knew how it felt and he also knew that we were very special.
Jul 3, 2009
CelticKC
THERE IS PERHAPS no greater evidence that human beings act contrary to their self-interest than the fact chat we spend so little time talking to the one who made and loves us. An amazingly high percentage of Americans say they believe in God, but most can’t find the time or the inclination to mutter much more than an occasional request for a small favor.
In order to learn to love to pray, as opposed to loving the idea of praying, one must experience the feeling while praying that you are at the center of reality. This runs contrary to common notions—that prayer, for instance, is a retreat from the real world, that prayer is a kind of luxury that we hope someday to be able to afford, that some people—the prayer warriors—have a gift for prayer that most of us lack.
Serious prayer is not a special gift, not even primarily a responsibility; it is a practical privilege—a privilege because it is an invitation to speak with the Creator of the universe, practical because nothing is more useful for giving our everyday lives weight and direction.
We have not because we ask not.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once wrote: “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 2:45). Commentator J. Oswald Sanders adds this lofty view of prayer:
No spiritual exercise is such a blending of complexity and simplicity. It is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try, yet the sublimest strains that reach the Majesty on high. It is as appropriate to the aged philosopher as to the little child. It is the ejaculation of a moment and the attitude of a lifetime. It is the expression of the rest of faith and of the fight of faith. It is an agony and an ecstasy. It is submissive and yet importunate. In the one moment it lays hold of God and binds the devil. It can be focused on a single objective and it can roam the world. It can be abject confession and rapt adoration. It invests puny man with a sort of omnipotence (Effective Prayer [Chicago: Moody, 1969], 7).
The essence of prayer is simply talking to God as you would to a beloved friend—without pretense or flippancy. Yet it is in that very attitude toward prayer so many believers have trouble.
Because communion with God is so vital and prayer so effective in the fulfillment of God’s plan, the enemy attempts constantly to introduce errors into our understanding of and commitment to prayer. Every generation faces the necessity to reprioritize and purify a corrupted or confused perception of prayer. For many, prayer has been replaced with pragmatic action. Function overrides fellowship with God; busyness crowds out communication. For others, prayer lacks a sense of awe and respect. Their efforts are flippant, disrespectful, and irreverent. Then there are those who believe prayer is designed to make demands and claims on God. They attempt to force Him to do what they believe He should do for them. Finally, for some prayer is nothing more than a routine ritual.
How is your prayer life? Throughout the bible we are reminded again and again that our Creator wishes to have a relationship with us that will define who we are in the world. The best way to meet God is through worship and prayer. But many of us relegate our prayer Sunday mornings and desperate times. So today, take a moment or two and meet your Creator in the silence of that most powerful gift given you, prayer.
Jul 3, 2009
ozzieowl
in this group....I cannot find it?
Jul 4, 2009
ozzieowl
but they were hours and hours ago?
`tiz a tad confusing lol!'
Jul 4, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Question is — how strong are you? Will you pave your own way without the need for cheerleaders on the side of the road? The only cheerleading you need is your connection with the Light.
Today, before you get carried away feeling comfy on other people's roads, look for the less crowded one. It's probably the one you should be on.
Jul 5, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Jul 5, 2009
Assunta Napoleone
Most often mean comments dont bother me, as I see it, Everyone has the right to think as they wish! Then...every so often I get tested!...Its a good growing experience, I guess!
Glad you liked the quote :)
Jul 5, 2009
CelticKC
Just a thought.
Jul 6, 2009
ozzieowl
I admit that I am able to swing from a mind-set of deep seriousness,then all the way through to complete and utter stupidity,
but tears dwell up in my eyes when I remember there is a part
in the Bible (don't know where), when Jesus says "I shall never leave you"
so nowadays with the discovery of DNA, could it be that we are `one'
with the Creator, and could it be that because we don't truly understand,
let alone believe this, we can be aware of a great gaping emptiness
deep within our soul.
Jul 6, 2009
Emmett S
Jul 7, 2009
Justbeingme66
JBM
Jul 7, 2009
ozzieowl
because as we know. most Scientists spend all their time testing theories in
order to attain proof, however, the article continued on to state that as the
scientists continued in their work, more and more often now, it appears there
is a direct correlation between what they find and a spiritual parallel.
And so we travel onwards....
Jul 7, 2009
ozzieowl
Jul 7, 2009
Tina
Jul 9, 2009
Smiling Platypus
If biblical references, facts and logic inspire you and feed your soul, then good for you! You've found a spiritual path that fits you, and there may be others here who would enjoy and benefit from your observations.
"Bashing" happens when someone feels the need to say "my way is better than yours, you shouldn't be doing it your way." Instead of realising that everyone's spiritual path or religion or relationship with God is as unique as that person is themselves.
Jul 11, 2009
KARUNAMOY SUR
I am a painter from India doing spiritual paintings and request you to visit my page and comment.Karunamoy Sur
Jul 12, 2009
Tina
Jul 26, 2009
Tina
Jul 26, 2009
Maducks
When I returned home to my grandson, Evan waiting for me. He immediately started running at me with a huge hug. He looked up at me and said,"Grammy, It'll be ok cause now I gave a reason to come help you more often." My eyes welled up and instantly lost all sense of disappointment. How special and blessed I feel!!
Jul 30, 2009
Tina
Aug 2, 2009
Rick Anderson
Aug 19, 2009
Billy Bones
Jar and Coffee
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Aug 21, 2009
OCNaturalDoc
Aug 22, 2009
Tina
Aug 22, 2009
OCNaturalDoc
Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation, etc.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance...
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you".
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
Today is a gift, that is why it is called "The Present".
Aug 22, 2009
Billy Bones
Aug 23, 2009
Tina
Aug 23, 2009
Tina
Aug 25, 2009